Zaidi Features: “Listen Just Once” by A.R. Von

AVAILABLE FREE AT MOST EBOOK SELLERS

BLURB

BASED ON A TRUE STORY

This is a story of a young girl who experiences things no child should ever experience. Lizzie tries and tries to get the attention of her mother to get it to stop, to get her to help. She is also left with the duty of protecting her sister, Rose from the monster. A man who makes both girls shiver when he comes to babysit them. If only the one person who SHOULD be there to listen, WOULD just be there for them. If only her mother would listen, just once…

EXCERPT

“Mama, please don’t go,” Lizzie whispers so very low that no one could hear her. She speaks very quietly because she fears her mother will yell at her again, punish her or even worse, hit her. Her mother is always going out, coming home when the sun starts to rise on the next day, stinking like cigarettes and alcohol YUCK! Then sleeping to the early evening hours and leaving Lizzie and Rose to fend for themselves.

Lizzie really hates when she and her sister are left with John, the newest sitter. Why a man babysitter? He’s so big, scary looking and smells funny. He does not even smile much and when he does, it’s creepy. He’s barely spoken two words to the girls since he entered their home, only observes—no stares at Lizzie more than her sister. Actually, he barely gives Rose a glance. The first time he watched the sisters, they had never met him before that night and their mama just left him with them as their sitter. Without barely an introduction or instructions. Just a ‘Girls meet John’ then she left them in his care. That was less than two weeks ago and now, here he is once again.

Tonight, their mama leaves them with him once again without instruction or care. Both girls were hoping he would never come back. That their old sitter, Jenny would come back to them and all would be normal again, but no…Now, Lizzie and her sister do not feel safe. Lizzie more so. She fears going to sleep with her mama gone and a stranger in her place. At least this time, they’ve already tucked themselves in bed.

A.R. was born and raised in Bronx, NY and is the oldest daughter of two girls. She holds an Associate’s Degree in Computer Science and Information Technology, which was only briefly used. She’s a mother of two entertaining teen boys (as well as a lovely fawn Chihuahua, whom she considers her furry daughter.) She’s also a wife to a delightfully handsome and amazingly funny man-beast. She loves anything dragon and fantasy related. In her free time she enjoys exercising, writing, listening to music, hiking, cooking, dancing and reading. She also loves a great adventure in and out of a book!
She writes to free her mind of its constant wondering and clutter. She thrives on the fact she can share some of it with readers that have the same passion for a great story.